Quantum Software Engineer – QPU programming and compilation

About Pasqal

PASQAL designs and develops Quantum Processing Units (QPUs) and associated software tools.

Our innovative technology enables us to address use cases that are currently beyond the reach of the most powerful supercomputers; these cases can concern industrial application challenges as well as fundamental science needs.

In addition to the exceptional computing power they provide, QPUs are highly energy efficient and will contribute to a significant reduction in the carbon footprint of the HPC industry.

Job Description

We are looking for a Quantum Software Engineer to develop hardware-aware software for Pasqal neutral-atom quantum computing systems. In this role, you will work both on our analog and digital quantum stack. On the digital stack, you will work on circuit compilation and hardware orchestration for neutral-atom devices. On the analog stack, you will maintain the Pulser stack, of which our open source library Pulser is the first and most visible layer.

For this role, you will work directly with quantum hardware, controls, and theory teams to bridge the gap between high-level quantum programs and low-level hardware execution. This position requires strong software engineering skills, a good understanding of quantum information theory, and practical knowledge of neutral-atom architectures, including atom arrays, native gate sets, and experimental constraints.

Key responsibilities:

• Implement a hardware/software interface for pulse and atom movement-level instructions, respecting hardware constraints.
• Design hardware-aware schedulers, quantum circuit compilers and optimization pipelines tailored to neutral-atom hardware for digital quantum computing.
• Collaborate closely with Quantum Hardware Engineers (e.g. system performance, quantum processing and register) to align software abstractions with experimental capabilities.
• Benchmark and analyze compiled circuits on emulators and real neutral-atom devices.
• Maintain Pulser, our software library for analog control of neutral devices, according to our open source standards
• Guide the analog stack libraries which sit on top of Pulser (e.g cloud and hpc middlewares, applications libraries, analog emulators)
• Contribute to the translation of Pasqal FTQC team's long-term vision into actionable digital software stack roadmap for the next generations of QPUs
• Write robust, well-documented, and testable production-quality code
• Support users in the Pasqal community for Pulser inquiries (e.g. community slack, github repositories)

About you

Profile

• Master's, or PhD in Quantum related field.
• 2+ years of relevant experience in quantum software

Required skills

• Strong proficiency in Python and experience with modern software engineering practices
• Good knowledge of quantum mechanics and quantum information theory
• Experience working at the interface of software and experimental hardware teams in the industry or academia
• Collaborative mindset, able to serve as a bridge between various hardware and software teams

Preferred skills

• Strong proficiency in at least one system language (e.g., C, C++, Rust)
• Practical knowledge of neutral-atom quantum computing hardware architectures (e.g. optical tweezers, Rydberg interactions)
• Solid understanding of quantum circuits, gates, and compilation concepts for neutral atoms platform (e.g. mapping, scheduling, optimization). Note that while compilation knowledge in the classical environment is valuable, compilation on neutral atoms is still very specific at Pasqal stage.
• Exposure to the quantum computing frontends and related ecosystem (e.g. cirq, qiskit, openqasm, cuda-q)
• Hands-on experience with electronics, RF engineering or embedded software
• Familiarity with quantum applications in the Rydberg Analog Model
• Exposure to noise models, error mitigation, emulation and numerical methods

What we offer

• Opportunity to work hands-on with cutting-edge Pasqal neutral-atom quantum hardware
• Working at the cross-roads of quantum physics, hardware engineering, software engineering and quantum applications
• Support for conferences, publications, and continued professional development.
• Working on Open Source Software

Hiring process

• An interview with our Talent Acquisition Specialist of 45'.
• An exchange with the Pulser Team Leader 60'.
• A technical assessment with the Pulser team 1h30.
• A meeting with the VP Software Platform 60'.
• An offer

PASQAL is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, as inclusion and diversity are essential to achieving our mission. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, religion or sexual orientation.